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Brad Friedmutter is the architect behind a number of Steve Wynn’s prominent casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey. He obtained his degree in architecture in 1973 from the Cooper Union School of Architecture in lower Manhattan and worked on a number of smaller projects before connecting with Steve Wynn. After meeting the famous Vegas tycoon, Friedmutter built a number of well-known casinos, like the Golden Nugget and the Mirage. In this interview, he discusses the development of his numerous projects, explains his process for starting and completing architectural projects, and the future of urban planning and casino design.
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From the Nye County, Nevada Photograph Collection (PH-00221) -- Series II. Ash Meadows, Nevada -- Subseries II.C. Toles-Turner Family. A ramp from which cars of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad dumped their ore for processing, Death Valley Junction, California, 1939. (NOTE: The perspective of this photograph is reversed from the original.).
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On March 11, 1978, Sosuke Miyazawa interviewed Nanyu Tomiyasu (b. May 28, 1918 in Las Vegas, Nevada) about his family’s farm and their legacy as one of the pioneering families of the city. Tomiyasu begins by talking about what brought his family to Las Vegas, the city’s abundant water reservoir and his father’s farm. In particular, Tomiyasu discusses his father’s experiments with farming as one of the city’s early farmers, the transition into nursery farming and Japanese gardens. Moreover, he discusses his siblings, the local schools, their great quality, the successful students the city produced and the growth of school populations. Tomiyasu describes the large Japanese population and the Union Pacific Railroad that many of them worked on. He ends by discussing the change in architecture within the city, such as where old buildings stood and what they are used for now, the first Episcopal Church and the old Mormon Fort.
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Oral history interviews with William J. Moore Jr. conducted by Elizabeth Nelson Patrick on May 05, 1981 and August 29, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In these interviews, Moore discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1941 to design and build the Last Frontier Hotel. Moore describes his work as an architect and recalls the other hotels he helped design. He then discusses purchasing mines in order to obtain their electrical components. Moore later discusses promoting and advertising for the Griffith theater chain and explains how he promoted before telecommunications. Later, Moore explains the designs of some of the structures he helped build. Lastly, Moore discusses the groups and organizations he was a member of, and recalls some of his memorable accomplishments.
Archival Collection
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Twentieth-century visitors to the Las Vegas Sands Hotel experienced the masonry work of Anthony A. Marnell, who removed his family from Riverside, California, to North Las Vegas in 1952 in order to build that structure. When he formed his own masonry company in 1958, he taught his namesake nine-year-old son the skills of a mason and the value of honest work. The younger Marnell learned all he could about construction from his father and completed his education by graduating USC School of Architecture in 1972, serving his apprenticeship, and becoming licensed in 1973. After designing McCarran Airport's A and B Gates, he teamed up with Lud Corrao in 1974 to form Marnell Corrao Associates, the first design-build firm in Southern Nevada. Marnell Corrao built many of Southern Nevada's most iconic hotel-casinos including the California Hotel, Maxim Hotel, and Sam's Town and Steve Wynn and Treasure Island, The Mirage, Bellagio, and New York New York as well as the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino and the M Resort Spa Casino. In this interview, the Riverside native speaks to the importance of teaching future generations about the value of work, of earning the sense of accomplishment, and of fueling one's inner spirit. His philosophy built a work environment that encouraged employee longevity from the beginning in 1974 (he is employee number one, and his assistant is employee number two). He talks of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), of entrepreneurial gamesmanship, and of casino greats Bill Boyd, Jay Sarno, Cliff Perlman, Kirk Kerkorian, and Steve Wynn. He describes the evolution of Las Vegas resorts from prioritizing casino games to fine dining to night clubs and entertainment. He credits his own Rio staff tradition of serving Chef's Table to the employees and the Rio's award-winning chef, Jean-Louis Palladin, for beginning the Las Vegas food renaissance in the late 1990s that rebranded Las Vegas as a Mecca for celebrity chefs. The nine-year-old who worked part time in his father's masonry business learned his lessons well, much to the benefit of Southern Nevada's growing skyline, its residents' growing waistlines, and its businesses' growing bottom lines.
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The Nat Hart Professional Papers contain the business records, personal papers, and photographs of Las Vegas, Nevada chef and restaurateur Nat Hart, who served as the Corporate Vice-President of Food and Beverage for Caesars World in the 1970s and 1980s. Papers date from 1930 to 2000 and include restaurant training and service manuals, business proposals, architectural drawings, recipe cards, cookbooks, menu specifications, photographs, scrapbooks, awards, news releases, and correspondence.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Todd Avery Lenahan conducted by Stefani Evans on November 29, 2016 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Lenahan discusses his early life as a military child, and repeatedly relocating to several states. He talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1999, and founding his architecture firm, TAL Studio. Lenahan recalls doing the interior design for the home of Steve Wynn, designing show rooms in the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, and making design accomodations for visually impaired individuals. Later, he discusses the issue of architecture firms outside of Las Vegas building communities in the city. Lastly, Lenahan talks about the future of Las Vegas infrastructure development.
Archival Collection
Oral history interviews with Martin Myron and Don Snyder conducted by Stefani Evans on November 30, 2017, December 06, 2017, and March 08, 2018 for the Building Las Vegas Oral History Project. Myron G. Martin, President and CEO, and Donald D. Snyder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, share their memories of the founding of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Martin recalls his upbringing in Texas and his education in music and business at Golden Gate University. He came to Las Vegas after a fifteen-year career with the Baldwin Piano Company to be the Executive Director of the Liberace Foundation. Martin describes how he became President of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Performing Arts Center and later President of the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation in 1999. Martin and Snyder talk about how the Smith Center came to be, fund raising, the design process for the performing arts complex, and notable people and organizations that were involved. They also discuss the overall programming at the Smith Center, and who performed on opening night.
Archival Collection